It
took a worldwide epidemic to make vocalist NICA CARRINGTON fully
realize that tomorrow is not promised to anyone. Although she has
been singing and studying voice since she was a young child, her
shyness made her feel more comfortable singing in choirs surrounded
by others rather than stepping into the spotlight as a solo
performer. But now with the release of her debut album, TIMES
LIKE THESE, audiences will get to appreciate her smokey,
warm voice and soulful interpretations of great American standards.
Carrington,
a native New Yorker, heard jazz around the house when she was
growing up. Her father was a jazz enthusiast who worked on the
promotional side of the music business, but he also played several
instruments. “My dad had a lot of musician friends who would often
drop by our house, and jams could break out at any time.” says
Carrington. She listened to her father’s vast record collection and
was particularly drawn to musicians she considered more lyrical,
like Chet Baker, Miles, and Wes Montgomery. She also listened to
the great jazz singers, but she was especially drawn to Frank
Sinatra. Carrington relates, “I fell in love with Sinatra when I
was 10 years old. I really liked his album Only the Lonely
and would drive my sister crazy by playing the title song over and
over again. I loved his phrasing and ability to tell a story
without vocal acrobatics. I didn’t realize until fairly recently
how much of Sinatra’s style that I internalized.”
Carrington
had been taking voice lessons, but in the midst of the Covid
lockdown, when teachers stopped giving lessons in person, she
discovered JazzVoice.com, an online resource that offers
private lessons, classes, and videos. It was there that she
discovered JOHN PROULX, the Los Angeles-based popular
singer, pianist, composer, and recording artist. He is also an
in-demand jazz voice, piano, and arranging instructor who became
enamored by Carrington’s vocal skills. Carrington says, “The
pandemic was a wakeup call for me. There were so many people that
were here one day and gone the next. It made me wonder what they
left unsaid and what was left undone. I realized that I did have
something to say, and it was time for me to record my music. John
is a wonderful teacher. He’s so supportive and encouraging, so I
took a chance and asked him if he would work with me on an album.
It turned out to be a great move.”
Proulx
came on board as Carrington’s pianist, arranger, and producer. He
brought along two of the brightest stars in the jazz firmament,
bassist CHUCK BERGHOFER and drummer JOE LABARBERA.
Berghofer is a studio musician who has worked on more than 400
movie soundtracks. He has worked with some of the top names in
music including Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Peggy Lee,
Shelly Manne, Gerry Mulligan, Art Pepper, Frank Rosolino, and Frank
Sinatra, among others. LaBarbera has an equally impressive list of
credits. Besides accompanying Bill Evans in his last years,
LaBarbera was also in the Chuck Mangione Quartet and worked
with Jim Hall, Phil Woods, Art Farmer, Gary Burton, Art Pepper,
John Scofield, Bob Brookmeyer, and Toots Thielemans, to name just a
few.
For
her debut album, Carrington chose songs from the Great American
Songbook that she learned about from her father’s record
collection. Says Carrington, “I’ve always admired the composers and
lyricists of the great standards. Their songs are timeless and I
wanted to stay true to them, but I also wanted to present them with
my own more contemporary style. The album is also an homage to my
father. He passed away a couple of years ago, but his influence on
me is indelible, and I needed to channel my feelings through
music.”
Many
artists recorded remotely during the pandemic, but it was important
for Carrington to interact with the musicians in person. So, with
the pandemic still raging, Carrington donned a mask and flew from
New York City to Los Angeles to record the album. Proulx and
Carrington began the project by choosing the songs that would work
best with her voice and wound up with ten tunes about love, loss,
and the joy of just being alive.
Included
on the album are “Skylark,” “When Sunny Gets Blue,” “Every Time We
Say Goodbye,” “We’ll Be Together Again,” “The Summer Knows,” “You
Don’t Know What Love Is,” “Angel Eyes,” “The Shadow of Your Smile,”
and “Here’s to Life.” The one outlier on the playlist is the
obscure song, “Left Alone,” written by Mal Waldron and Billie
Holiday, who always intended to record the song, but claimed, “I
always forget the damned sheet music.”
Proulx,
Berghofer, and LaBarbera are seasoned musicians who are superb
accompanists and stars in their own right. They know how to swing
and be supportive without stepping in front of the vocals. Nica
Carrington is an exciting new voice on the national jazz scene.
While this is Carrington’s debut recording, her personality shines
through, and she sings with the assuredness and vocal savvy that
elevates TIMES LIKE THESE from being merely another
recording of great American standards to an eloquent personal
statement sung with a very contemporary edge.
# # #
TIMES LIKE THESE is set for release on
September 23, 2022 and will be available everywhere.
Online:
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